Upper Ball Joints Left and Right

quick question, I just wanted to know if the Upper Ball Joints for my 98 Tacoma are side specific?

I mistakenly ordered two front/right's instead of a Left & a Right. got them through Toyota, they both look the same but I figure I should consult the internet before proceeding here.

Thanks

 

I don't believe they are side specific (uppers). LBJs, absolutely.

 

UBJ’s not side Specific
LBJ’s are side specific

 

Looking at the BJ’s on Rockauto, it appears BJ’s can come pressed into a bolt-in bracket or without the bracket. Those with the bracket have a left/right pt #; if only the BJ, they have one pt #.

 

The UBJ’s I was talking about was for a 1st gen. Since we’re in the 1st gen section. I see you have a 2nd gen. Are you taking about 1st gen UBJ’s or 2nd gens?

 

@Sicyota04 1st gen. I entered 1998 Tacoma at and saw the BJ options. Also on Camelback Toyota, who only sell the right/left BJ’s. A buddy has a 1st gen that I help maintain with as he is not too mechanic saavy. We havent done suspension work on his rig, but I was curious …

 

Check Toyota part #s on their drawings. Rock auto sent me 1 chevy leaf spring and 1 Tacoma leaf spring a few years ago. Trust the oem source. Pretty sure You gonna find upper ball joint is same animal from Toyota either left or right.

 

Dating back all the way to 95 to 2004, it's the same ball joint across the board. They are not side specific and are used on multiple models.

https://partsouq.com is your friend - not just for parts but part reference.

 

Just changed both my OEM UBJs on my '97 V6 Taco 4x4 last month. They were both still serviceable but had over 10 years of off-roading abuse on them. I had a spare OEM set from McGeorge sitting on the bench, so the UBJs got R&R'd to check the box. This time around, I change them without removing the knuckle mostly to verify what it takes to do it using that method. It can be done using my ball joint tools, but it is much easier with the knuckle removed using the 20-ton shop press I set up on casters. Both OEM UBJs are identical, and they pressed into the top of the knuckle with the force-clamp using tons of force. My still-aching shoulders are a testament to that. The new OEM UBJs were much tighter, harder to rotate than the old OEMs. So the 10 years of off-roading abuse had put noticeable wear on the old OEM UBJs. I got 16 years out of the original set. But when I finally replaced them, they were on the extreme verge of failure with only myself to blame. Surprisingly, McGeorge/Ourisman was just a little less money than PartSouq. But PartSouq did save me over $100 on other OEM parts I needed when replacing the valve cover gaskets/timing belt/water pump. It usually pays to shop around especially on OEM parts.

1995-2007 Toyota Suspension Ball Joint (Left, Right, Front, Upper) 43310-39016 | McGeorge Toyota Parts (ourismantoyotaofrichmond.com)

In 2013, I was working 5-6 days a week mostly out of the country so had a well-respected shop in Kingwood, TX doing most of the preventative MTX work on my Taco. Luckily, I heard a clicking noise while motoring down a bumpy trail and looked into it myself. At 16 years, my original '97 OEM UBJs were an accident waiting to happen.

16 years of off-roading abuse had the original OEM UBJs clicking like a pair of castanets on that bumpy trail. My bad!

 

I did mine without removing the knuckle. Believe I’ll remove them if I have to tackle that again. It’s doable but I had to use both feet and hands and about all the umhp I had in me using a c clamp style press. Good job.

 

Same here bud! My chiropractor even gave me the "You need to remember that you're 70, Dumas!" lecture.

 

Took my knuckles to a local shop to have the UBJ’s pressed in. For the life of me I could not get them started straight with the c clamp.

 

Same here Kevin. I had to put a light chamfer on the edge of the UBJ and lube it well to get it to start into the knuckle straight using the C-clamp method. What I did not appreciate was how much force it takes to fully seat the UBJ in the knuckle. As THatt stated above, it took everything I had in me to get it done by hand. If I ever have to do it on the vehicle again such as in a trail-side emergency, I will have to use the big DeWalt MAX XR 20V 1/2" impact gun I carry to tighten the force-clamp to fully seat the UBJ in the knuckle.

EDIT: A trick I learned from H.G., the shop master machinist, was to put torque on the C clamp then tap the side of the knuckle to keep the UBJ going in slowly but steadily: tighten-tap, tighten-tap, etc. It works!